Snap-hiss!

Was this originally a Zahnism?

And why has this term achieved near defacto literary-canon status for the sound of an igniting lightsaber?

What other ways would you use to describe this noise?

 

I think I've also heard crack-hum.

 

Heard (as in that is your perception of the noise when you watch a Star Wars movie), or Read (as in that is a description that you remember reading in a Star Wars novel)?

 

Sorry, read.

 

Because it's a perfect onomotopeia, like "boom."

The crack hum actually describes a seperate ignition sound, I think. Most of the time, it's the the "snap-hiss." But sometimes, it's a "crack-hum." The best example I can think of a crack hum is Luke's lightsaber in Return of the Jedi, when he ignites it after falling off the speeder bike on Endor and uses it to cut through the oncoming speeder bike's stabilizer. It's a much more abrupt sound.

 

At this point, i can't think of the sound in any other way.

 

Why not use the terminology from the comics? Ie: 'Psssssshon!' or 'Zzzzzzzzt! or whatever they use?

And by the way, is it an original Zahnism?

 

Because while those words look fine in a comic panel, they look ridiculous on a page of prose. See GODV.

 

I'm almost positive it is an original Zahn-ism; I certainly can't think of any literature earlier than that that I've seen it used in.

- Keralys

 

Because, while those are descriptive of sounds, they don't work as adjectives.

 

What are other known Zahnism's?

Characters speaking dryly come to mind. As does Touche.

 

All his characters like to say "Point" coupled with a sardonic smile

 

Let's all mentally cross our fingers that we can think of more.

Oh, wait . . .

 

Traviss used something like "Zzzzt" in Bloodlines.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure "snap-hiss" is Zahn's.

 

And is that accompanied by a flicker of pseudomotion?

 

Yes, and someone saying something "dryly" or "drily" in Outbound Flight.

 

What about the "ozone smell" of blasterfire? Is that a Zahnism?

 

Snap-hiss is the classiest description of a lightsaber igniting there is. Next to that, zzzzt just sounds...crude. It's also the most common description, which is probably why some people would like to see something different.

 

I dunno, to me it's more of a sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeehuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmm sound.

All in favor of replacing "Snap-Hiss" with "sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeehuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmm" raise your hand.

Carnage

 

What about clap-siss?

 

The hiss is the "shhh." The snap is the slightly frictive sound that comes right beore that. The actual hum isn't described so much. It's kinda more like a "pstshhhhhhhhhhh"

 

pastiche?

 

The mottled sky of hyperspace faded to starlines.

The starlines shrunk down to stars.

And they were there.

Wherever "there" was.

 

It's a minor point, and not one I haven't noticed over the years, but compared to publishing embarrassments like Rebirth and Dark Rendezvous, it takes a backseat.

There's no reason why that sound must be described. And I do believe one other author has used a different word; can't remember where.

In any case, the prequel movies have showed 2 sounds: the spiss-hiss of Jinn's and Kenobi's sabers beginning of TPM, and Yoda's spunct in AOTC. Yoda's blade and sound is just like Skywalker's in ROTJ, something that didn't go unnoticed by me, but few things usually do, huh?

 

Yes! The spunkt! sound is the crack-humI was talking about earlier.